Future Thoughts
by ravenroses
Summary: Nobu's past catches up to him in the form of people and a scar. After sometime apart, they meet to talk to see how their friendship can handle the past. Take's place after Hachi's first child but before her second.
1. Scars

He still bore the scar on his cheek. It was faint and a little pink. Sometimes he forgot he had it. Either his hand would brush it whenever it went near his face or someone brought it up after examining his face. Any time he stared at himself too long in the mirror. Then he'd remember. It all came flooding back.

That's what was happening right this second.

Nobu stood hunched over the sink. His hands clamped on the edges as if they were the only things to stop him from drowning. He peeked up at himself in the mirror. His dark eyes stared back at him at first with a sad tint. That look quickly changed, however. A bit of anger flooded his eyes. His brow furrowed with the change.

He grunted and gripped the sink tighter. His knuckles were beginning to turn white. He bowed his head. He had to stop looking at himself, being mad and upset about something he had no control over now didn't help anything.

When he was younger he would have had all the control in the world. He could have stood up for himself, been a real man instead of the naïve boy he always was. Hachi and Nana had both needed him. He failed them both and ended up losing them both.

Nobu hadn't lost Hachi completely like he did Nana. She was standing outside. She came in pretending to want a room for a night in the hotel. Her smile lit up the room at her own little joke. He had smiled too since hers was infectious. Deep down he knew his smile was fake and meant nothing. It made him feel guilty all over again.

It was all a show because her son was with her: Ren. The boy had an old friend's name but Nobu's features. As soon as he spotted the boy, his chest tightened in panic. As much as he wanted to he couldn't claim that child as his own. He could only teach him the essentials, like playing the guitar and writing music. The two things that had been most important to Nobu not too long ago.

Not only did that force him out of the same room as Hachi again but she was pregnant for a second time. This one he knew wasn't his. It'd be Takumi's. Hachi's real husband's. It seemed they were starting a real family now.

Nobu glanced back up. He caught a flash of Ren's, his son's, face in the mirror. He winced at the thought. That's when the scar made another appearance. He released one hand's grip from the sink and reached for the mark on his cheek. The other hand supported all the weight he put on it as he leaned forward.

His fingers gently touched the scar Nana's ring had left on his face. It was the last thing she gave him before she left them. It was his last memory of Hachi too. The last clear one of them together anyway. He had seen her many times since that night in front of their friend's shrine but it was the last time he had held her. The last time he got to smell her, to comfort her, to really care for her. He still loved her deep down but he had to move on. He had to be a man and make her feel comfort and love from him as a good friend and not her husband.

He dropped his hand away from his face. Nobu stood up to study his whole reflection. He looked a little harder around the edges, like he was ready to face this issue. He wanted to face her and act like it was all okay between them.

He reached for the bathroom doorknob. His confidence left him in a single breath as his hand touched the metal. He gulped and glanced at himself in the mirror again.

"Guess you're not as ready for this as you thought, huh?" he laughed at his reflection, which looked genuinely happy for once.

He stood up a little straighter. He felt a little more like himself, a little younger and just as naïve. He smiled to himself, but not to his reflection, before pulling the door open. He was ready to face whoever waited for him on the other side.


	2. Hachi Visits

"So," he began when he found his voice. Hachi turned slowly to look at him. He almost forgot what he was going to say next. The soft look in her eyes was distracting. Somehow he managed to find his voice, "is it a boy or a girl?"

Hachi's smile was kind and almost bittersweet. She placed her free hand over her stomach, "I'm hoping for a girl. I don't know for sure yet though."

Nobu nodded. There was nothing else he could really say to that. He let the conversation fall. Hachi could sense the sudden change. She moved her hand from her stomach and brushed some loose hair behind her ear. Ren began to tug on her hand that he was holding. He wasn't saying anything but his eyes told her exactly what he wanted. She bent down to pick him up. The boy hugged her around the neck and buried his face in her shoulder. She shifted him up higher in her arms and then adjusted the purse strap that was falling off her arm.

She was beginning to regret going to the inn.

"Can I get either of you anything? Food? Tea? A room perhaps?" Nobu asked, snapping out of his stupor. He had put his professional face back on.

Hachi smiled softly again, "Some tea would be nice."

Nobu showed her into a sitting room and left to get some tea put on for them. He joined her after he found a maid to put the tea on.

He sat across from her, "It'll be ready shortly."

She smiled but her eyes were distant. She was neither looking at him nor at anything in the room. It wasn't a familiar look for her. He knew what it meant but he wanted to know what she did see.

The maid came in with a tray of cups and the pot of tea. A plate of cookies was also on the tray. She poured a cup for each of them before retreating from the room. The two sipped slowly and quietly at their drinks.

Ren seemed to have dozed off in his mother's arms. She laid him down on the rug, tucked a jacket under his head and let him be to sleep peacefully.

Nobu finally mustered up the courage to break the silence. "How's Shin?" he asked.

Hachi looked up at him over the rim of her cup, her lips frozen in a little 'o' shape from blowing on the tea. Slowly she lowered the glass and her features smoothed back to normal. She looked away from him. The action worried him a bit.

"He's good," she said after the short silence. "He's been busy. I don't see him much anymore because of his new job."

"He's acting now, right?" he asked before sipping at the tea. It was still too hot. He winced at the numbing feeling on the tip of his tongue. He put the cup down to let it cool.

Seeing Nobu's reaction to the tea, Hachi put her cup down on the tray. When she sat back up she ran her hands down her skirt to smooth it out. "Yes, he is," she said.

Nobu smiled, "Good. I'm glad he's into something that suits him."

She smiled like a proud mother but she still wasn't looking at him. His eyes traced her line of vision. She was staring at Ren. He was stirring slightly in his sleep.

Suddenly Hachi said, "I wonder what he's dreaming of."

Nobu smiled, "Hopefully something good."

The two adults looked at one another and shared a smile and that hope. Ren moved again and Hachi looked back down at her son. Nobu fought the urge to stare down at the boy so he picked up his tea again. He blew on it once and took a sip. It wasn't as hot anymore but still warm. He sipped at it more to agitate his burnt tongue.

Pulling her eyes off the sleeping child, she asked Nobu, "How's Yasu?"

"Doing well for himself. He's still with Miu."

Hachi smiled brightly, "I'm so happy to hear that."

Nobu thought about asking about Takumi. He honestly didn't care about the man but it might have made her smile brightly again if he did. He thought about it a little longer than expected. Then she cut into his thoughts.

"Are you seeing anyone, Nobu?" she asked quietly. Her eyes were hidden by her bangs.

"No, actually, I'm not," he didn't want to elaborate past that. His last breakup had been recent. He didn't want her to know it ended terribly. He didn't want her to know it was because of her, because he kept comparing other women to her.

"Oh," was all she said. He was just glad she didn't apologize or pry.

"Still keeping 707?" he asked to change the subject.

"Yes I am. I keep thinking she'll show up again one day."

"We all hope she will, I think."

Without thinking, Nobu moved his hand up to his face. His fingers brushed against the scar from Nana's ring. The more he thought about it, he realized it was the same ring Hachi wore. He glanced at her hands on her knees and spotted the ring there. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised but he couldn't help it.

Apparently that surprise showed on his face because she asked, "What?"

He looked up at her face and shook his head. He took his hand away from his cheek, "Oh, nothing."

She couldn't help but study the spot he just touched. She saw the small scar almost immediately. How could she have forgotten he had that? He received that scar because of her.

The memories from that day came flooding back. She remembered all the tears, his body pressed against hers; it was warm and comforting. Every feeling from that day hit her hard again. Even the shock from when Nana came bursting into the room and hit him. She remembered it all and tears filled her eyes.

"I better go. Thank you for the tea," she almost choked out. Hachi stood and began to gather her things.

She bent down and picked up Ren. He stirred in her arms but relaxed when he realized it was his mother. He nestled against her neck and slipped back into sleep.

"Nana, please," Nobu said. He sounded almost scared.

"I'm sorry. I have somewhere else to be."

Once she had all of her things, she left. Nobu rushed to the doorway only to see her leave through the front door. He sank into his knees and leaned against the doorframe for support. His fingers were digging into the frame for extra help.

He felt like he had a few years ago when he lost her the first time; when she chose Takumi over him. He suppressed his tears. He couldn't stand watching her walk away again like this. He knew something had to change, but not at that moment. Nothing could be done to fix his breaking heart.


	3. An Idea

Nobuo managed to make it to his room without anyone's help. It surprised him but sheer will power along helped him make it. He instantly threw himself facedown onto the bed. He pulled the pillow over his head and stared at the mattress.

Komatsu Nana's visit really threw him off. He had only seen Ren once in the couple of years since he had been born. He wasn't even at the hospital when Nana went into labor. He wanted to be there in the days leading up to it. But everything had happened so quickly. Especially after the baby's namesake had passed.

Touring halted, recording had halted. Time stopped but things had never slowed down. It didn't help that Takumi had him and the other members of Blast banned from the hospital room during and after the delivery. He remembered being in the band's secret hotel, pacing franticly after Shin received a text telling them, "It is time." It wasn't until a week later that they found out it was a boy she named Ren. Once again, it was in a text to Shin.

Nobu turned over onto his side, pulling the pillow off his head to hug it close. Tears began to pour down his face. He couldn't stop them. He only saw the two Nanas with their respective Rens as he squeezed his eyes closed. It made his heart ache again. It wasn't even for the people he lost; it was for each of them and what they had all lost.

The pain in his chest rose and rose and he cried into the pillow. He thought the Terashima Inn made him happy after all these years away from music. Hachi's visit that day made him realize that it didn't. He missed the music but most of all he missed his friends. He missed the love they all shared for one another in vastly different ways. Here, he was completely alone.

He opened his eyes to clear away the image of everyone. It had morphed from the four to all of them in room 707, surrounding the table near the window. They would drink, some would smoke, and they laughed. No one was upset around that table, especially when they were all together.

That thought froze him. His body stilled and the tears stopped. An idea was coming to him. He sat up, still clutching the pillow to his chest. His dark eyes were distant as the idea fell into place.

"Maybe if I went back, things would be different." A small smile appeared at the edges of his mouth. The smile grew and grew until he was laughing full out and hardy. It was such a simple idea but it seemed like the best choice. Hachi had said she was still holding onto it, so what was stopping him from going there? Maybe the others showed up. Maybe Nana herself would appear to him. There was only one way to find out.

Nobu threw the pillow onto the floor as he ran for the phone. He dialed the front desk, where the receptionist picked up on the first ring. He didn't even let her finish her greeting, "It's Terashima. I need a car to the train station. Let the others know I will be taking a small holiday to Tokyo. Something important has come up." He hung up on her as she started agreeing with his wishes.

He grabbed some clothes in a suitcase and ran out to the street. A car sat waiting for him, "You requested a ride to the train, sir?"

"Step on it!" Nobu shouted climbing into the backseat. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins. There was no slowing him down now. He was a man on a mission once again.


	4. Room 707

The building looked the same, standing tall alongside the river. It was a vision of beauty to Nobu. He paid the cab driver and waited for him to drive off before approaching the building. The apartment grew bigger and more intimidating in the pale morning sunlight the closer he got to the door. He reached for the door and swallowed the fear that was rising. He could do this.

He _had _to do this.

Nobu quietly pushed the door open. The building even smelled the same. He took a moment to calm the nerves that remained. Then he began the ascent to the seventh floor. At the top, he took a moment to stare at the door. Nothing was different or out of place. Nothing indicated that anyone had been there recently. It also didn't look abandoned. Then again, he was only in the hallway.

Out of respect, Nobu knocked on the door. Nothing moved on the other side. He didn't hear either Nana's voices yell out to him that they would be right there. Now that he stood there he realized this might have been a mistake. He wasn't sure how he would even get into the apartment. His heart began to sink.

He slumped down to crouch next to the door. He put his head in his hands, wishing the tears wouldn't fall again. Inhaling sharply, he pulled his legs in closer. His wish was to make himself as small as possible. He realized now that coming out here was a stupid idea. The entire trip to Tokyo he knew that there wouldn't be anyone waiting here. He cursed his optimism.

"Are you waiting for someone?" an elderly voice said above him.

He looked up quickly to see a small woman with a warm smile. He pushed himself to his feet and bowed slightly, "I was to meet a friend here. She rents this apartment."

"I haven't seen either of the young women who lived here in a while. I'm glad they still rent it, but it makes me sad to see the apartment go to waste. Especially after how lively it used to be." She was staring at the door as if she could see the memories of the apartment being played out in front of her.

Nobu stared too. He sighed, "Yeah, I know what you mean."

He heard jingling just then, he turned to look at the old lady but she was already on the move. She was no longer standing next to him. Instead, she was at the door and sliding a key into the hole. The lock clicked and the door swung inward.

"I recognize you from the first week the girls moved in. You were the young man we had to yell at for playing guitar. Please, if you see those girls, tell them I saw hello," she stepped back into the hallway and gestured for him to enter.

Nobu was dumbfounded. He looked from the old woman to the now open apartment and back again. "I don't know what to say." He bowed again, "Thank you very much."

"Don't thank me. I'm just letting a tenant back into his apartment," she winked and moved on to the stairs. He watched her until her head was no longer visible from where he stood. Then he turned to stare into the apartment.

She was right, it did look exactly the same. The table and benches Nana had built sat comfortably under the window. He hefted his bag onto his shoulder and entered his past.

Nothing was out of place. It was if room 707 was stuck in a time capsule. Some dust gathered on a few of the counters or appliances, but the table was clean. He set his bag on the tabletop. It creaked like an old, sturdy table would from a little weight. He couldn't help but smile.

From there, he moved to Nana's side of the apartment. He wanted to see if her room was unlocked. While they were touring, she kept it locked up. Not because she didn't trust her roommate, but she wasn't living there. She didn't want Trapnest or any other strangers going through her minimal belongings.

He tried the knob. It clicked open and the door swung in. It didn't shock him entirely. It broke his heart more. It meant Nana knew she wasn't coming back. She had returned that night to get anything she had initially left behind and left it open for the rest of them to find.

The room still smelled like stale cigarette smoke and a hint of something that was uniquely Nana. The bed was untouched and a couple pieces of clothing lay on the floor, crumpled from being grabbed out of the closet. The rest was bare. Nobu backed out of the room. He memorized the room as he closed the door before him.

This was getting more and more difficult. The knot in his chest was growing, making it hard to breathe around the tears that wanted to be shed. He had one more room to look into. He would save the tears for the end.

Reassured, he strode across the main room toward the door opposite Nana's room. He was expecting that one to be open. Hachi had a lot of trust in others. It was rare her door was closed, let alone locked. He reached it in a few strides, hand already outstretched for the knob. He turned it.

The door didn't move.

He tried turning the knob again. The door remained closed. He became frantic, "No. No, no, no. This isn't happening." He kicked at the door before collapsing in front of it. "Why!?" he shouted at it.

Not only was Hachi herself closed off to him forever, so was her old room and his own memories of her. It felt like the day he had been locked out of her life all over again. He remembered sitting outside this very door while she and the demon known as Takumi sat on the other side, laughing at him no doubt. The wound was reopened and began to bleed all over again.

His hands were balled in fists on top of his thighs. He closed them tighter until his knuckles were white. It was his last act in fighting back the tears. There was nothing left in him to fight anymore. One by one tears began to fall on the hands and jeans. Soon it was no longer individual tears, but a flood and he didn't want to stop them anymore.


	5. Maybes

Nobu blinked a few times. The sunlight was bright in the room but that wasn't what woke him up. There was a figure bent over him, the face was hidden in shadow from the sun behind her. She had a hand gently on his shoulder. He moved away from that hand and pushed himself halfway up. She pulled the hand back to her slowly. She went to brush her hair back with it but he was quicker. He pulled her into him whispering her name.

They sat like that a while. At first she was too surprised to move, and then she moved just as quickly as he had to hug him back. The two clung to each other. When one pulled the other closer, the other responded by doing the same. They were inseparable.

He could feel her begin to uncurl from him first. He allowed her to because something told him she wasn't about to leave him here. Not again and not like this.

He could finally see her face. The light landed on her just right and she seemed to glow. It was as if she needed this as much as he had.

"What brought you here?" he asked.

She smiled, "A phone call from the landlady. Said someone with a guitar got into my apartment."

"Funny. I didn't even bring one."

Her face light up with real laughter and she covered her smile with her hand, like she normally would. He reached over and gently pulled it down. The laughter faded and was replaced by a look of surprise. Nobu removed his hand, "Sorry," he said, scratching the back of his neck, "I, uh, wanted to see your smile again."

That brought a softer smile to her lips. It held hints of sadness but he could still see the genuine happiness in her eyes.

He tried to change the subject back, "How'd you know it was me?"

"Shin usually comes to see me at home or calls to meet me. I can't remember the last time he was even here."

For a moment, he toyed with actually asking the next question, then he opened his mouth, "How did you know it wasn't Nana?"

Her entire body went stiff. Her lips were slightly parted from shock and she wasn't looking for him. He was about to reach out to her when she breathed and glanced at him. "Something inside told me it would be you." She looked up at the door behind him, "You fell asleep outside my door?" A coy smile appeared on her face, "Now who's the loyal dog?"

"Very funny," he commented.

She got to her feet and reached into her pocket. He stood as well. In the palm of her hand were three keys. Two were very similar. She chose one of them and put the two mismatched keys back into her pocket. She inserted the key into the lock and it clicked open. She slid the key out and back into her pocket.

"I'll let you open it. I'll be at the table."

He stared at her, "You're not coming in?"

"This is your trip down memory lane. I've been there plenty of times myself." She began walking toward the table.

"Hachi." She froze at the nickname and he continued talking, "Did you leave her room unlocked or was that something she did?"

She looked at him over her shoulder, "I left it just the way she left it."

The words stabbed him in the stomach. His suspicion had been right. Nana did not want to come back.

Now that Hachi's room was open, he debated going in with her sitting nearby. It no longer felt right going through her things, their shared memories. He laid one hand flat on the door and the other grabbed the doorknob. He leaned into the hand laid on the wood, close enough for his forehead to brush the skin.

Hachi sat at the table watching him. He could feel her eyes on him. She was looking over her shoulder because she had sat with her back to him. She didn't want to watch him, to stare, but she couldn't help herself. He smiled bitterly into his hand.

"You're right," he said, pushing himself back up, "I shouldn't be kicking up these memories." Nobu glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her. He saw her sad smile begin to creep up so he looked away.

"Please," she whispered, "join me."

He couldn't help himself. His body moved before he could stop himself. Next thing he knew, he was at the table, sitting across from her. He moved his bag off the tabletop to clear the space between them. They sat in silence, awkwardly glancing up at one another or out the window. It was the same as it had been back at the Inn.

"Where is your son?"

She looked up at him, "I left him at home with a sitter." She had a guilty look on his face, "I wanted to bring him here since he sleeps surprisingly well in my old bed but I felt you didn't want to see him again."

Nobu was hurt by this, "Why would you think that?"

Hachi looked surprised, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Tears welled up in her eyes and she tried to hide it by looking outside. Her voice sounded firm again but he could still see the shining in her eyes, "You seemed put off by him yesterday. I didn't want to impose."

"This is your apartment. I'm just a visitor," he smiled, trying to make light of the situation. She didn't take it that way. Her head shot back to look at him with large eyes.

"Never! Nana may have treated you like an unwanted guest but you were, are, always welcome here."

He smiled warmly. Hearing her say that felt better. Nana may have treated him poorly but he knew how much he meant to her. With Hachi he was never sure. Once she said something, though, he believed her through and through.

She seemed to relax at his smile. Then her mind seemed to switch gears, "Nobu?" She placed her hands flat on the table and leaned forward, staring directly into his eyes, "I want you to teach Ren how to play guitar when he's old enough."

He reached across the table to lay a hand on top of hers. He gripped her tightly, trying to get her to look him in the eye again. She peeked up and he held that gaze, "Of course."

Nobu felt some of the tension in her body leave as he said the words. He reached the other hand over and took both of her hands into his. He pulled them across the gap to him. He placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles, "He should learn from the best, right? Honjou Ren taught me. I can pass that on to little Ren."

Her genuine smile was back on her pretty face. It warmed his heart. At least this way he would be able to see Hachi and his own son again. Nobu couldn't deny that Ren was his. Everyone knew it but no one was going to say it. Even if he couldn't raise the boy as his, he would try his hardest to make him feel like family. To bring everyone back together as a family once again. Maybe Nana would join them once again when she saw that.

"Maybe," he muttered to himself.

Hachi flinched and pulled her hands back a little, "What?"

Nobu flashed his boyish grin at her and pulled her hands back toward him, "Nothing."


End file.
